The Great Unwind: one week out and how I'm really "trolling the scroll"......

It's been exactly one week since I made the deliberate, philosophical choice to step away from social media, and I can say this without a shred of doubt:

it’s working.

Honestly, I was prepared for a twitchy, anxious period - that dreaded FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) or the residual pull of checking for a meaningless 'like.' Instead, what I’ve found is a massive, blessed wave of mental silence. My head, which felt like a browser with fifty-seven tabs perpetually open, is finally starting to clear.

The creative energy I’d let gather dust over the last few months? Oh boy, it's back, big time!!!

The Power of the Pocket Notebook

One of the most effective strategies I’ve discovered for actively "trolling the scroll" is going completely analogue. I’ve started carrying a small notebook everywhere I go. It's paired with a proper pen - a nice, inexpensive Parker (because some simple pleasures simply never fade) - and a surprising addition: a Helix Oxford Maths Set, just like the one I had at school.

Yep, the 60-year-old me is now the proud owner of a compass, a protractor, and a 15cm ruler, all in a little tine. And no, I will not be using the included timetable on the back (unless "Go for a walk" is a required subject).

The psychological impact of this tiny analogue kit is huge. When I feel that old, twitchy impulse to pull out my phone and open a void, I pull out my notebook instead. I use the tools to:

• Air Out the Noise: Write down those innermost thoughts and feelings that used to just bounce around the cluttered space in my mind.

• Plan the Focus: Sketch out diagrams, underline headings with a ruler, or use a set square to create sharp, focused project layouts.

• Capture the Spark: Log ideas for the three blogs, the e-zine, or the YouTube channel before they vanish into the digital ether.

It’s an active, tangible substitution for a passive, digital habit. My focus on my projects is growing daily, fueled by these small, contained moments of analogue thought.

The Ultimate Detox: The Scottish Silence

To celebrate this shift, I took a brilliant trip with Ebony to the Outer Hebrides and the North West of Scotland. Talk about a complete mental scrub! We drove the single-track roads right through the stunning centre of North Scotland, intentionally avoiding the frantic bustle of the Eastern NC500 route.

Driving through that kind of wild, unspoiled silence is the perfect, physical representation of what I want my mental landscape to be: vast, beautiful, and completely free of notification pings.

The lack of phone signal in those remote parts? That wasn't a problem; it was a luxury. There was no pull, no obligation, no sense of FOFM (Fear Of Missing Me).

The Clarity of Now

One week in, the relief is palpable. I'm no longer worried about how many likes or comments a post gets. That metric of external validation feels utterly meaningless now. The only validation that counts is internal: the satisfaction of a notebook filled with genuine thought, a project plan coming to life, or the simple joy of a ferry ride across a Scottish sea.

It turns out that the "real life" I was being promised through a screen was waiting for me all along, right here, waiting to be done and experienced. If you’re considering making the jump, I can only tell you this: the psychological payoff is immediate and profound.

Here’s to many more weeks of analogue planning, focused creativity, and zero scrolling.

Cheers!!!